Though the considerable advantage cannot be denied in terms of reduction in acoustic pollution due to the increasingly more widespread use of electric vehicles, in particular inside urban centers, it has nevertheless been proved that this also results in a greater risk of accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians, especially if these are visually handicapped and deaf, due to the lack of noises distinctly audible when the vehicle approaches.
To overcome such drawback, the use is known of suitable proximity acoustic signaling devices installable on electric vehicles.
The acoustic signaling devices of known type come into operation when the electric vehicle is running and moves within a predefined speed range, generally between 0 and 30 km/h, and emit a sound easily recognizable by a pedestrian or by a cyclist in the proximity of the vehicle.
In particular, the sound produced can vary according to the speed of the electric vehicle and can be configured according to the type, model or brand of the specific electric vehicle on which the acoustic signaling device is installed. Normally, the acoustic signaling devices of known type are directly connected to the control unit of the electric vehicle by means of a conventional CAN-bus and comprise an amplifier connected to a specific loudspeaker, suitably optimized to modulate and propagate the warning acoustic signal so this is distinctly audible at a predefined distance from the vehicle.
The acoustic signaling devices of known type have, however, a number of drawbacks.
In particular, such acoustic signaling devices in any case represent a further electronic device to be installed on board electric vehicles, in addition to other numerous systems and devices normally present on the vehicle, such as, e.g., anti-theft systems and parking-assistance systems.
This increases the overall complexity of the electronic control systems installed on the vehicle and also represents a further cost, both in terms of the intrinsic costs of the acoustic signaling device and of installation, configuration and maintenance costs of the signaling device itself.